§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what contribution his Department made to the international symposium on nuclear waste management, held at Sellafield in mid-October, in terms of personnel in attendance and papers presented.
§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on ministerial responsibility for establishing a policy for long term disposal routes for radioactive waste as envisaged in paragraph 6 of the Government memorandum in reply to the seventh report of the Defence Committee of Session 1992–93, on the royal dockyards, and his answer of 1 November,Official Report, column 6.
§ Mr. YeoThe radioactive wastes to which the question refers are those arising from the decommissioning of nuclear-propelled submarines. As stated in the reply which I gave to the hon. Member on 1 November,Official Report, column 6, these are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence. Responsibility for civil radioactive waste management policy lies with my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment, for Scotland and for Wales. Issues needing wider collective consideration can be put to the relevant Cabinet Committee.